JAM ON THE RIVER | 05.26 & 05.27 | PHILLY

Memorial Day weekend planted its flag firmly in Philadelphia. With the holiday weekend came a cleansing of the city. It was a virtual purging of those holiday beach-goers that left the remaining inhabitants to raise their freak flag for the long-standing tradition of Jam on the River. A classic Jam on the River line-up attracted thousands. When the nets were hauled in and our city saw its final catch, we had an exceptional horde of faces. From Lance Armstrong to Rocky look-alikes, Jam was on in a major way.

Bustle in Your Hedgerow
Bustle's instrumental take on Led Zeppelin is wonderfully unique in a way that conjures a wild imagination. After being wrongly introduced as "Hedgecrow," Scott Metzger, Marco Benevento and Dave Dreiwitz jumped through classics "The Ocean" and a rocking "Immigrant Song." Joe Russo had a fire in his pants, bouncing as he smashed the cymbals, but it wasn't his drumming that caught the crowd by surprise. We cheered as he busted out in song "Hey lady you got the love I need. Oh darling, darling, darling, walk a while with me." The righteous move launched Bustle in your Hedgerow into "Over the Hills and Far Away" and firmly established Russo as the thief who stole the show.

The Illadelph was made proud by the electronic dance quintet hailing from right down the street. Jesse and Luke Miller kept the energy level at a lofty peak throughout their utterly packed set at the Delaware River Amphitheater. The crowd went wild for "Spiritualize!" and a dance party cover of "Block Rockin' Beats." Lotus tacked this Chemical Brothers cover to the wall, blowing their first attempt in Pittsburgh out of the water. They threw in wiz-covered gem "Gonna Fly Now" and the theme from "Rocky," which was more amusing than musically interesting. The jam ended with an emaciated Rocky dancing on the stage much to the chagrin of the crowd.

Cypress Hill was just plain crazy, yo. They played a mix of old and new classics including many off their first album - "I Wanna Get High," "Hits from the Bong" and on and on... Bongos kicked off each song before the DJ jumped in, which gave the familiar tunes a tribal feel. B-Real and Sen-Dog captured the Jam stage like boogie down pirates on a shock and awe campaign. B-Real seized the bongos multiple times, thwacking them with both hands and sticks. Sen-Dog never stopped dancing and heaved himself into the crowd repeatedly during "Rock Superstar." Midway into Cypress Hill's set, a police boat pulled up in time to receive this opportune line, "Cops come and try to snatch my crops. These pigs want to burn my house down." The virtual smacks to "The Man" continued as B-Real lit up a spliff and blazed on stage for about five minutes.

Saturday evening brought electricity to the air and a furious Disco Biscuits crowd out to the river. This is the fifth year in a row the Biscuits headlined Saturday night on the river, and boy-o-boy was it memorable. The Biscuits opened with "Sweating Bullets," a mere precursor to the chaos about to unfold. It started raining towards the end of the song and the crew scurried to cover everything in plastic as the band moved into "Save the Robots." During "Robots" the rain became torrential, and instead of running for cover the notorious Biscuits crowd went wild in the best of ways. The crew lowered the canopy above the band releasing buckets of rainwater onto the pit, inciting glorious, sopping mayhem. We watched Marc Brownstein towel off his bass and toss us an evil smile as the Biscuits kept trudging on with a concise "Munchkin Invasion." Pelting rain and possible electrocution brought the show skidding to a halt. I wouldn't trade those 30-minutes of Biscuits for anything, simply one of the best live moments I've witnessed in a long time.

The Brakes set the tone for Sunday with their airy romp through their inspired catalog, partially built from their back-to-back residencies at Philadelphia's Milk Boy Coffee and NYC's The Knitting Factory. They pulled out all the stops with a whopping cover of Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good." The flock of wah-wahs coming from Matt Kass's guitar set the stage as he, Zach Djanikian and Derek Feinberg moved comfortably together. The Maserati anthem was driven with a laidback air of southern grace that made you want to kick off your boots and sip sweet tea on the porch.

The Philly contingent continued the rambling mood by sending us down the richly paved road of their latest offering, We All Belong. Scott McMicken (guitar) and Toby Leaman (bass) dug out some grimy rock n' roll, shined it up and heaved it at us with a gusto that is distinctly Dr. Dog. A dapperly dressed older gentleman appeared in front of stage and promptly grabbed a young lady for a twirl. He proceeded to dance her and a string of her friends around in the most proper of fashions, with dips and curtseys to "My Old Ways" and "Keep A Friend." The pleasant scene told our legs, "Get up! You have no business sitting."

I loved the Grateful Dead dearly, so I've never been able to truly let go and enjoy Dark Star Orchestra. However, there were some mighty fine moments during "Playing In the Band" > "St. Stephen" that conjured moments from the great Spectrum shows of the late '80s and early '90s. The vibe was insatiable as Lisa Mackey unleashed a poetic scream, bringing the band back into "Playing in the Band," that generated goose bumps across the audience. The original "Tour" man himself, Lance Armstrong, could be seen standing in front of the soundboard during DSO.

This band just doesn't have the punch it needs to be great. However, Bob Marley's songs still burn brightly in the minds and ears of all. Fan or not, the swanked out dance moves and skunky grooves coming from the stage hypnotized your body. The best thing about the current Wailers is Aston "Family Man" Barrett's scooped out bass blasts during "Them Belly Full," which carried any worries away with deep, hollow notes. Barrett held up three fingers signaling for everyone to follow him into "Three Little Birds." Rumor has it Bob Marley specifically instructed Barrett to continue performing with The Wailers. This incarnation is a nice way for fans to hear Bob Marley years after his death.

The Aussie band pulled into Philly on a biodiesel-powered bus, and the city was a little greener. John Butler's soft manner put everyone at peace as he conducted a rich trek through mostly new material off his Grand National album. The easy feel of the songs mingled with the growing blackness of clouds above, pushing the performance into exceptional boundaries. Musically, I'd call it the best of the weekend. The connection between John Butler, Shannon Birchall (bass) and Michael Barker (drums) on "Better Than" and "Something's Gotta Give" was a serious treat.

It seemed inevitable that the STS9 show would be rained out as sinister clouds built through the day; but Hunter Brown and David Murphy snuck in a couple before the show was called. "Lo Swagga" and "Really Wut?" presented some noticeable and pleasing improv that pulled at the legs and sent the crowd into a rhythmic grind. It may have been short, but for several minutes it was remarkable to watch the band play to the natural light show over the river.

The crowd was treated to hot sunny days but plagued by violent back-to-back evening storms that washed away the heat and, unfortunately, the headliners. Those drawn in primarily by these acts had their disappointment eased by a lush array of after shows. 2007 goes down as a marathon of weather and music. The heat pushed you to the limit and the wet weather tested your resolve. If you made it through both days I'm sure you found some solace in the rain's cooling effects. Otherwise, I am sure you cursed its ability to dampen spirits and cancel music.

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Comments

sounds rad, before all the bisco kids get on here and say "good thing sts9 got rained out they suck compared to bisco anyways" I'd like to say that both of those bands (and lotus) raging on the same bill is pretty damn cool

That lineup was killer. Wish I could have gone. You can't beat a weekend with Bisco, STS9, DSO, John Butler Trio, there wasn't a weak band on the line up. It's a shame the rain came, but it showed how diligent and dedicated the fans and musicians were. I think it's funny that dedhed said that bisco kids were gonna rag on tribe, but then that dumbass AdCo came on with his ignorant and meaningless comment.

nice review, i'll never forget the INTENSITY of Save The Robots...one of my favorite live music moments of my life...it brought back memories of getting soaked on the lawn in Camden during Bathtub Gin 7/3/00 for sure.

bro my comment is neither ignorant nor meaningless. they are a sloppy bunch of musicians, and a vast majority of their fans can't even enjoy a show without rolling their face off. i'm a philly area head who wants to promote enjoyable, quality music and i think the biscuits couldn't be further from quality. thats my piece.

It is funny that the tribe side struck first. Whatever happened to southern hospitality? i've said it before and i'll say it again, bisco and tribe are two completely different kinds of music, there's not even really any comparison. They are both incredible bands in their own right. I love lotus, too, but I love to call them "sound tribe sector 4 1/2" just to piss off my philly peeps

micconway - my comments were about bisco, not sts9. i dont think that tribe is sloppy at all. i think sts9 makes some cool music. i find their music enjoyable, but shows can be kinda boring. maybe they should play their instruments more than with their laptops. sampling is cool and can add some really interesting layers to music, but i just dont like going to shows and seeing the musicians clicking away instead of playing music with their instruments. they just dont do it for me, personally. just my opinion. at the same time, at least they can make quality sounding music - unlike bisco, hence my original comment.

and magner is a disgrace to all legitimate keyboardists ever with those nancypants body movements he makes. it does crack me up tho, that loser.

Daddyphatsacks - I'm not sure - They have used the same set-up for the stage since Livenation became involved. We can blame the poor waterproof job on them, but I think it was more the lightning then heavy rain that ended both evenings.

AdCo all you have done in this post is rag on people. You are dogging a keyboard because of him dancing when he plays. That has nothing to do with how he sounds musically. He's up there havin fun when he's playing. Oh yeah he's also in a sick ass nationally touring band, what do you do other than sit around and wait to post more comments on jambase ripping on bands that have the musical talent and life that you could only dream of. Wait I'm sorry whose the loser?

see111, great call on the Camden, Bathtub Gin 7/3/00 reference. That was one hell of a song and weather combo. Top on the list of my weather/song (once in a life time) mixes, absolutely ridiculous. In fact my boys at JOTR made that exact reference.

clearly you have my whole life figured out man. first of all, im a keyboardist myself, and ive studied music all my life. second of all, yes bisco is nationally touring, but they are far from sick. in fact they make me sick, i think they are musically atrocious. as a keyboardist, i think im in a position where i can form an informed opionion of other musicians, and i happen to think magner is lacking in talent. further, being from the philly area and having many many friends who are hardcore bisco heads, ive had the opportunity to see first hand how magner is a dick. so yeah, ill get on the internet and rag him, because i want to see if there are other sane heads out there like me who think this bisco craze is absurd. i think that theres alot of people who dont care what fills the void that phish left, and bisco is the "cool" thing right now, regardless of their quality. they are annoying. they are sloppy. and im very pissed off and i fuckin miss the days when we were one nation under phish, a fun and extraordinarilly talented group of musicians who deserve every bit of praise they recieve. im fuckin frustrated, and jambase message boards are my outlet. deal with it.

um even though u dont think thier good keep it too urself who cares bro seriously i think there kinda bad but i dont go around talkin shit about them let people think for themselves i dont think they need ur help i wish phish was still playin too but there not so get over it and dont take this to hard im sry haha

Not only did kewl make you sound like a whiny ass fool, but you still didn't make a single good point. I took piano lessons from the time I was 10 until I was 16. I know about playing music. I was even a band dork in high school and I am proud to admit it. I know you can't imagine this, but you are not the only musician in the world. Man, I know this is so hard, but you are not the only authority on playing keys. Your so called informed position is probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen on this forum. You never thought in your egotistical mind that most of the people that come on this forum play music themselves. Kewl had it right, I don't think they need your help man. As for Phish, shitty ass fans like you who have problems with every kind of music isn't is probably part of the reason they broke up. Bisco fans aren't filling a Phish void, we are having a blast with our friends. Everyone who was at the Tractor Beam in the Chitown know that Bisco kids can be the crowd people search for. I've never been to a more friendly show in my life.

kewl - all i said in the beginning was bisco = garbage. i love music and i love the scene, and i just felt like voicin my opinion about a certain band in an article that talks about them. i like to see how people defend them, its humourous to me. then heads like hnkscrpio get all personally offended and start insulting me and calling me names, and it just makes it all the more comical and entertaining. i guess im just trying to figure out why poeple so rabidly defend this band when there are SO many great bands out there that are worth loving. i just dont get the bisco thing, and i guess i never will, because people like hnkscrpio take and make everything personal. and the only reason i brought up phish was cause they were good for the scene, unlike a band that is currently popular but i will refrain from naming because i'd feel bad if hnkscrpio simultaneously cried and shit himself. peace.

"Bisco fans aren't filling a Phish void, we are having a blast with our friends"

oh so very true.

as for the biscuits being sloppy, it makes sense to me with the way they play that not every note is going to be right on. with as many ways as they change keys and and play solid melodies and beats while improvising it's just about impossible not to miss some beats/notes from time to time. As for magner not being a good musician, I just don't see where you're coming from with that...there are many songs that require quite some skill on the piano in their repertoire (see HDPF, Overture, Spy, etc.) but where i really think he shines is in the way he can come up with a truly brand new melody in the middle of a jam and manipulate it without missing a beat. But hey, one man's trash right?

rainking - breath of fresh air man. its nice to see a fan who makes legit points, not personal attacks. i respect your position. i just think the type of music they play should be tight as hell, and when i listen to them, i dont hear that. maybe im listenin to the wrong shit tho, ill check out those songs. good looks, thanks for being reasonable

Youngsters, Once upon a time, there were two great festivals at Penn's Landing in Philly--a blues fest over Memorial Day weekend, and the wonderful Jambalaya Jam (musicians from New Orleans) the following weekend. Tickets were about $10/day. The Jambalaya Jam was produced by Quint Davis from New Orleans. Now the weekend is produced by your friends from Electric Factory/Live Nation--the same greedy promoters whose negligence resulted in 11 teenagers being crushed to death at a Who concert in Cincinnatti, and whose founder, Alan Spivak, was sent to prison for a year for massive fraud. And tickets cost $47.50 per day. Hey, I'm sure the Jam on the River was a great fest. But just remember where the massive profits are going. Keep-a-rockin, Stu62

First BISCO was in Breckenridge @ River Run, what an introduction. STS9 needs more socal time for papas and professionals like myself and my friends. Lotus is sweet. Cypress Hill preaches the rastafarian word like no other. DSO is great with your eyes closed and your mind turned inward to the memories of the fat man almost a hundred times over; if I were a polytheist, Jerry is unquestionably on the list. Finally, I'd like to thank bustle in your bushes for reminding me how talented and raw real led zep is. Ya see, I downloaded it w/ and w/o the dude from umph, and they really sound like they belong in a garage. I bless them though for allowing me to bust out the old song remains the same. Pranaam to all.

yo i was at both days and i couldn't care less about some silly bisco sts9 feud because at the concert no such thing exsisted! everyone had a great time each night and at the afterparties with both bands and thats what matters, not a message board!

hehe, this argument is sweet. all i know is i've never seen people as fucked up as a bisco crowd. it scares me a little. i enjoy getting fucked up plenty, but who can tell me that bisco crowds arent super intense?

there's no doubt we all love to party hard and get down with our friends at shows. but i think the difference with bisco crowds is that the majority of the kids NEED to be rolling/trippin face to enjoy themselves. not everyone, i hate to generalize, but i know from experience with my friends that bisco shows induce people to eat exorbinant amounts of drugs. and its just too bad that the music isnt enough. i mean the band is named after E for christs sake.

I agree with AdCo on some of his points specifically the one about Magner being a big ol' cock knocker. Guy must carry himself that way because of some severe deficiencies in other aspects of his life. I just don't get why people jock the Biscuits the way they do. I don't do a lot of hard drugs, and the dozen or so times I've been at an event and they've been a performer they captured my attention for about 20 or so minutes. Most of these have been festivals where the fan base is to be desired by anyone that's not from Illadelph. Anyways....does anyone remember when Jordan Crisman played bass with the Biscuits? I think they got rid of him because he was just head and shoulders above their level of playing...i don't think they could hang...at least from what I saw. That guy was fucking sick, and he probably would of taken them in a completely different direction once he got settled in. Maybe would of shown them a thing or two about pitch control too. If you're a biscuits fan there's no rebuttal to defend their singing ability. They really do suck at that.

sounds like a crappy set up, if buscuits and soundtribe had to stop early due to rain. how weak is that. i don't know how many GD & Phish shows that i've seen in the pouring down rain, but they never had to quit playing. i'd want my money back. i don't really get the buscuits either. they don't seem to have much depth and vocals are weak.

unfortunately i was unable to make it to the first night but the second day was pretty sick .... sts9 totally rocked out, it was awesome...the early dismissal kinda put a damper on things but all in all it was a good time.... also getting my picture with captain morgan was like the highlight of my life.... i love live music!!!!!!

Being a Philly native all I have to say is Bisco is the shame of the city. How these guys got as popular as they have is beyond. I draw a direct correlation between increasingly easy accessability to prescription drugs and the rise of Bisco. These guys are such hacks, and their fans consist of the shit stains and dregs of the Phish community. And why do they all dress the same with the flat brimmed hot cocked to the side and the urban apparel, worn ever so baggy. I wish other Philly bands would get more love, there are sooo many others that are far superior in talent. Good to see The Brakes up here, they kicked ass at Mountain Jam. I'd really like to go see Umphrey's this summer if I knew I wouldn't have to deal with a Bisco crowd. I guess thats why they named their tour D.U.M.B, lol, Oh well......

^^and what exactly is it that the biscuits are "hacking"??? call them what you will, but that word isn't even in the ballpark with these guys. Name some bands you like and tell me they don't have influences that appear just as strongly in their music as anything does in the biscuits.

As for the thing about drugs I just find that sad, and maybe it has to do with the way the biscuits market themselves. I agree the name is idiotic, if you ever want to be respected don't name yourself after a drug. I just wish people could see beyond that to the value and innovation behind what the biscuits do, because as a musician and someone who tries to listen to as much different music as possible I really do see a lot there.

rainking - calling them "hacks" doesnt mean they actually hack anything, in the verb sense of the word. he meant they suck. i think what differentiates bisco from other diehard scenes like the dead and phish is that with gd and phish, there was a sense of the magical - and that came straight outta the musicians' amps. with bisco theres a sense of the chemical - straight from the ounces of shards consumed each show. sure, the music is there and it keeps the crowd dancing. but the vibe of the scene comes from the scene itself, and not a devotion to a band making great music. bisco heads will defend the music to the death, but the truth is the fans love the party. the music is just a reason to party, and the musical/artistic community would not be losing anything if the disco biscuits never played a note again.

the best part of america is our freedom to choose what bands we want to go see... if you do not like a band then nobody is forcing you to see them.... i've been a Bisco fan since 1997 when they first played at a bar i owned... nicest guys...greatest ambition... best attitude.... they busted their butts touring the country to earn fans the old fashioned way...by playing in jook joints, opening acts, sidestage afternoon acts etc...they deserve the crowd, since they developed the grassroots following themselves.... unlike alot of bands who have some major label shoving pop junk on the air and become overnight heros... 2 thumbs up to Bisco for a great 10+ year run of providing psycadelic jamtronica trancefusion live musical shows....taking chances with originals... living the life any musician only can dream of... hating on them or others is just a sign of jealousy.... when you have walked a mile in another mans shoes you may realize how uphill a walk it is to the top!

yeah, im sure they worked hard to get where they are today, its nearly impossible for a band to get to where they are without putting in the grunt work. that being said, check out the new deal if u want to hear some quality psychadelic jamtronica trancefusion. TND shits on TDB, and honestly anyone who argues with that is just a silly and confused individual.

For anyone who has truly experienced the Disco Biscuits for what THEY are trying to do they know that magic does come out of those amps. You don't like it, i'm sorry, but these guys create music that is purely their own and they love sharing it with people. As for people who write them off musically, they use elements of classical music and syncopations that most bands in this scene don't even think about. Sorry i hate to keep arguing because it obviously isn't going to change your opinion but I just want to make sure people who are reading this get both sides of the coin. It's hard for me to sit there and not say anything when you make a ridiculous comment like "tnd shits tdb"

I am a bigger fan of theNewDeal too, but I haven't had any luck with Bisco. At the 'roo they played with Umph and all I heard was this long slow jam. At this show the rain f'ed it all up after 30min. Other time i've been passed out at festies for their set.

I know that Bisco rocks long shows and their fans are the most diehard around today. Why can't I get a good show in?

BTW, all of you who say that BISCO kids this or that, you obviously were not in the know back in the day. The lot and the family, or even the phamily that came after, partied their asses off, preposition I know, but I don't want to call anybody an asshole.

I was never an official family member, but I had a number of acquaintances who were at the time. I remember them laying sheets and doing shots of a certain liquid with me, let alone the real x that came from the Universities in CA, ever heard of Berkley? What do you think people thought about the acid tests?

Kids party. Lucky ones get away with it. Others go to jail and others die, or are killed. Kids party. Be sure you're one of the former rather than the latter of the two. God bless you friends in for the weight of their paper and mandatory minimums. You know who you are. I know that 25 yrs. is a long time, but hold on to something. Just remember you could be lying somewhere in the desert with the buzzards.